LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – As growth in the Four Corners area continues to explode, Lake County is opening a new school to help combat overcrowding in the classroom.
Lake Pointe Academy, the county’s fist K-8 public school, opened its doors to students Tuesday, the first day of school.
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With a capacity of more than 1,200 students, the school is located off U.S. Highway 27, north of the intersection with U.S. Highway 192.
“We were able to be a relief school for Sawgrass Bay Elementary and Windy Hill Middle School,” Principal Andrea Steenken said. “If you look at their numbers, they’ve been climbing quite a bit for the last few years with all of the growth here in the Four Corners area.”
The school was designed with an emphasis on ESTEAM learning, which focuses on environment, science, technology, engineering, arts and math.
Students can take advantage of several collaboration areas in classroom hallways and at the school’s STEM lab, which acts as a media center replacement.
“It’s state-of-the-art. We’ll have a lot of engineering going on. We’ll have the robotics. It’s all about extending the learning outside the classroom,” Steenken said.
Students also have the chance to get some hands-on learning through the school’s culinary arts program.
“We’re going to be having a garden right outside, so the students will be able to see how we go from that farm to fresh as they utilize that space to grow some herbs,” Steenken said.
All the school’s new features are designed to foster a learning environment that will put students on a path for success.
“We’re going to be able to see our students grow from kindergarten all the way through eighth grade and be able to foster those relationships with our family,” Steenken said.